Amber Road recently participated in a seminar on the European Economic Area (EEA) in Brussels and is providing this report on the main outcomes. The seminar allowed Amber Road’s staff of in-house trade specialists who provide up-to-date content to its Global Knowledge® database, to obtain a thorough, first-hand understanding of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) and how it integrates Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway into the EU’s Internal Market.

The Global Knowledge database consists of regulatory controls, restricted party screening lists, product classification data, landed cost data and trade documentation required for global shipments for 160+ countries. Amber Road’s trade specialists gather, translate, interpret and update country-specific trade regulations on a daily basis to maintain the most comprehensive and robust database of global trade content, government regulations, and international business rules available today. A deep understanding of the functioning of the EEA Agreement and the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) are fundamental for the success of Global Knowledge® in Europe.

Here are the key takeaways from the presentations by the EFTA Secretariat, the EEA and Norway Grants, the EFTA Surveillance Authority and the EFTA Court on the day-to-day operation and management of the EEA Agreement, including recent developments and challenges.

On March 29, 2019 the United Kingdom will leave the European Union – and with it the customs union, the EU’s common commercial policy and the European single market, which had hitherto committed the UK to the free movement of labor. Yet with Brexit only some months away, future customs arrangements between the negotiating parties remain totally unpredictable. The uncertainty is poison to global trade.

“When we leave the EU, we will also leave the EU Customs Union.”

This was the guiding principle under which the United Kingdom, on its way out of the European Union, first submitted ideas about a future customs collaboration with the EU, including the outline of an independent customs bill.

The latest trade data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows a steep increase in U.S. exports to India for 2017 – 18 percent – making it our 15th largest export market. India is the 11th biggest importer of goods to the U.S. as well, growing by a modest 5.6 percent from 2016 to 2017. The second-most populous country in the world, India is home to 1.3 billion people and a growing middle class. These figures help explain why India is increasing in attractiveness to U.S. companies looking to expand their global footprint.

The past year of global trade management has been riddled with policy uncertainty and growing protectionism as ongoing negotiations, such as NAFTA and Brexit, bring promise of widespread trade changes and an influx of new policies and regulations. The World Trade Organization originally reported in April that global trade was expected to recover in 2017 and 2018; however, in order for a rebound in economic performance, governments would need to pursue "the right policy mix." Did this happen? What forthcoming trade trends do importers and exporters need to prepare for?

Negotiations have resumed in Brussels over Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU). Since the last round of talks in July, the United Kingdom (UK) has published a series of position papers on various Brexit issues, including the future customs cooperation with the EU (Open for Business: Customs at the Forefront of the UK’s New Special Partnership with the EU). There is also talk of a transition for the immediate period after Brexit. Real chances of discussing these issues are not dependent on Great Britain alone, but on what transpires at an EU October summit authorizing the start of trade negotiations.

Although Big Ben has been taken out of commission for the next four years while it is being refurbished, the UK is making sure commerce and trade will be running after its departure from the European Union (EU). The story is well-known by everyone in the trade industry; the United Kingdom-European Union membership referendum vote held on 23 June 2016 resulted in 51.9% of voters voting in favor of leaving the EU. The government initiated the official EU withdrawal process on 29 March 2017, putting the UK on-course to complete the withdrawal process by 30 March 2019.

Amber Road has regularly kept our customers and trade professionals in the know about Brexit’s impact on trade. The blog post on 15 June 2016 and a full corporate press release. We also held a special webinar on the “The British Vote Brexit: How Will This Impact Global Trade in EU and US Companies?” which is available on-demand and issued a Q&A paper.

Following months of speculation regarding the UK’s position on various aspects of global trade – positions that are now subject to serious scrutiny as the government negotiates the departure from the EU - an official paper was just released to clarify the government’s plans...